Publishing · head to head
Draft2Digital vs Sigil
Draft2Digital
Publishing
Ebook and print distribution aggregator that takes a percentage instead of a fee
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Sigil
Publishing
Open source EPUB editor for working directly on the file, not generating it
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Draft2Digital the 10% cut is taken from the list price of every copy for as long as the title stays in the channel, so on a backlist that sells for years it costs far more than a one-off formatting or distribution fee would have.; Sigil it produces no print output whatever, so any book that needs a paperback interior requires a completely separate tool and a second workflow.
- They diverge on capability: Draft2Digital covers One-upload distribution, Sigil covers Direct EPUB editing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Draft2Digital and Sigil actually diverge.
| Attribute | Draft2Digital | Sigil |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | 10% of retail list price, no upfront fee | Open source, no licence fee |
| Platforms | Web | Windows, macOS, Linux |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Draft2Digital
- One-upload distribution
- Free conversion
- Books2Read universal links
- Print distribution
- Free ISBN option
- Series and back-matter automation
Only in Sigil
- Direct EPUB editing
- Code and preview views
- EPUB 2 and EPUB 3
- Regex across files
- Validation
- Python plugins
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Draft2Digital
- An author with a growing backlist who does not want to maintain accounts at eight separate retailers and reupload corrected files to each onenot Sigil
- A writer who wants library distribution through OverDrive and Bibliotheca without meeting the requirements those platforms set for direct suppliersnot Sigil
- Anyone publishing outside the United States who wants Tolino and other regional European stores reached without local accountsnot Sigil
- A publisher of series fiction that benefits from automated end-matter linking across every store editionnot Sigil
Sigil
- Fixing an EPUB that a retailer validator has rejected, without re-exporting from the tool that generated itnot Draft2Digital
- Correcting the table of contents, reading order or metadata in a file supplied by a conversion servicenot Draft2Digital
- Preparing a back-catalogue title where the only surviving source is the EPUB itselfnot Draft2Digital
- Applying a consistent stylesheet or a bulk text correction across every chapter of a book at oncenot Draft2Digital
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Draft2Digital
- The 10% cut is taken from the list price of every copy for as long as the title stays in the channel, so on a backlist that sells for years it costs far more than a one-off formatting or distribution fee would have.
- Moving a title to direct distribution later means unpublishing and republishing at each store, which usually resets reviews, rankings and pre-order history at that retailer.
- The free ISBN names Draft2Digital as publisher of record, which weakens the case that the book is independently published when dealing with libraries, bookshops or awards that check the imprint.
- You lose the merchandising and promotional tools retailers give direct suppliers, including Kobo price promotion tools and Apple promotional scheduling, which are among the few levers indie authors actually have.
- Payments wait on retailer reporting, so revenue arrives later than a direct account would pay it, and reconciling a discrepancy means the aggregator has to raise it with the store on your behalf.
Sigil
- It produces no print output whatever, so any book that needs a paperback interior requires a completely separate tool and a second workflow.
- Meaningful use requires reading and writing HTML and CSS, which puts it out of reach of most authors who simply want a finished file.
- There is no cloud storage, sync or collaboration, so the book exists as a file on one machine and version control is whatever you set up yourself.
- Development depends on a small number of volunteer maintainers, so release timing and platform builds follow their availability rather than a roadmap, and a lapse in maintenance would leave no obvious successor.
- It provides no distribution, no retailer connection and no Kindle-native output, so it sits in the middle of a workflow that other tools have to complete on both sides.
Pricing, plan by plan
Draft2Digital
Free- Draft2Digital$undefined/month
- No setup, subscription or conversion fees
- Draft2Digital retains 10% of the retail list price of each sale
- Free ISBN available, or supply your own
Sigil
Free- SigilFree
- GPL licensed with no cost or account required
- Full functionality with no feature gating
- Community support through forums and the issue tracker
Which should you pick?
Choose Draft2Digital if
- You need one-upload distribution.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want free conversion.
Choose Sigil if
- You need direct epub editing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
- You also want code and preview views.
Questions people ask
- Is Draft2Digital or Sigil better?
- Neither clearly leads. Draft2Digital starts at Free and Sigil at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Draft2Digital or Sigil?
- Draft2Digital starts at Free and Sigil at Free.
- Does Draft2Digital or Sigil run on more platforms?
- Draft2Digital runs on Web. Sigil runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
- Can I use Draft2Digital for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Draft2Digital best used for?
- Draft2Digital is most often used for an author with a growing backlist who does not want to maintain accounts at eight separate retailers and reupload corrected files to each one, a writer who wants library distribution through overdrive and bibliotheca without meeting the requirements those platforms set for direct suppliers, anyone publishing outside the united states who wants tolino and other regional european stores reached without local accounts, a publisher of series fiction that benefits from automated end-matter linking across every store edition. Of those, an author with a growing backlist who does not want to maintain accounts at eight separate retailers and reupload corrected files to each one and a writer who wants library distribution through overdrive and bibliotheca without meeting the requirements those platforms set for direct suppliers are not what Sigil is typically brought in for.
- What can Draft2Digital do that Sigil cannot?
- Draft2Digital covers One-upload distribution, Free conversion, Books2Read universal links, Print distribution. Sigil covers Direct EPUB editing, Code and preview views, EPUB 2 and EPUB 3, Regex across files.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Draft2Digital: Should I distribute to Amazon through Draft2Digital?
Usually not. Amazon accounts are free and paying an aggregator a percentage on your largest sales channel is difficult to justify unless you have a specific reason to avoid a direct account.
Sigil: Can I write my book in Sigil?
You can, but you should not. It is an EPUB editor, not a word processor, and writing long-form prose in it is unpleasant. Write elsewhere, import, then finish in Sigil.
Draft2Digital: Can I use my own ISBN?
Yes, and you should if you want the imprint on record to be yours. The free ISBN is convenient but lists Draft2Digital as publisher.
Sigil: Does it make Kindle files?
Not natively. Produce a valid EPUB in Sigil and let Amazon convert it, or use a separate conversion tool for other Kindle formats.
Draft2Digital: What happened to Smashwords?
Draft2Digital acquired it in 2022. The Smashwords store continues, and the two distribution operations were brought under one company, which reduced the number of independent aggregators to choose between.
Sigil: Is it safe to rely on a volunteer project for commercial work?
The files it produces are standard EPUB, so nothing is locked in. The risk is that maintenance stops, not that your books become unreadable.
Related pages
More on Draft2Digital
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